Constipation linked to cognitive decline, research findings

Editor’s note: Sign up for CNN’s Eat, But Better: Mediterranean Style. Our eight-part guide shows you a delicious, expert-backed food lifestyle that will improve your health for life.

CNN
—

In the first research on the impact of constipation on the aging brain, scientists have found disturbing links.

Being chronically constipateddefined by the authors as bowel movement just every three days or more was associated with a 73% higher risk of subjective cognitive decline, according to a study presented Wednesday at the Alzheimer’s Association’s international conference in Amsterdam.

“Our study provided novel evidence that examined a broad spectrum of stool frequency,” said Dr. Chaoran Ma, first author of the research and assistant professor in the Department of Nutrition at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, per e -mail. . “We were surprised at the strength of the associations, especially for those with very infrequent bowel movements.”

About 16% of world adult population experiences constipation, but it is even more common in older people due to age-related factors such as lack of exercise and dietary fiber, and the use of medications that can cause constipation as a side effect.

Chronic constipation has been related to inflammation and mental disorders such as anxiety and depressionbut there have been many unanswered questions about the relationship between digestive health and long-term cognitive function, according to a press release.

Cognitive function refers to a person’s mental capacity for learning, thinking, reasoning, problem solving, decision making, remembering and paying attention.

To find clues to these queries, the authors assessed more than 112,000 adults who had participated in the Nurses’ Health Study, the Nurses’ Health Study II, and the Care Professionals Follow-up Study. health. The first two studies investigation risk factors for major chronic diseases among women in North America, while this latest study focuses on the same subjects but for men. The authors of the latest research collected data on participants’ stool frequency from 2012 to 2013, participants self-assessments of cognitive function between 2014 and 2017, and details of some participants’ objectively measured cognitive function between 2014 and 2018.

Compared to people who pooped once a day, constipated participants had a significantly worse cognitive equivalent three more years of chronological cognitive aging, the authors found. An increased risk was also found in those who pooped more than twice a day, although these higher odds are small.

“The more we learn about gut-brain access, the more we understand that making sure (preventing or treating cognitive decline) is a systemic approach is so important,” said Maria C. Carrillo, Scientific Director of the Alzheimer’s Association. , who did not participate in the research. “The brain isn’t completely isolated from what’s going on in your bloodstream.”

The stool and the brain

This research was not “designed to test the causal relationship between stool, gut microbiome, and cognitive health, so we cannot draw firm conclusions regarding the precise causal sequence underlying this association,” said My.

But stool frequency and subjective cognitive function were also linked to participants’ gut microbiomes, the authors found. Among those who had infrequent bowel movements and poorer cognitive function, there was a depletion of good bacteria that produce butyrates, fatty acids that support the gut barrier that prevents bacteria and other microbes from entering your bloodstream. according the cleveland clinic.

Butyrates also contribute significantly to digestive health by providing the main source of energy for colon cells. These can be found in high-fiber foods, fiber supplements, prebiotics, and whole dairy products — eaten in moderation — like butter, cheese, milk, or ghee. Ghee is clarified buttermade by isolating the pure butterfat from the milk solids and water in the butter.

Those who pooped twice or more a day and had worse cognitive function had higher amounts of species that promote inflammation and are linked to dysbiosis, a imbalance of gut microbes associated with the disease.

Other research presented at the same conference on Wednesday had similar results. In a summary of 140 middle-aged adults, lower levels of the neuroprotective gut bacteria Butyricicoccus and Ruminococcus were associated with higher levels of Alzheimer’s disease biomarkers.

In another, of more than 1,000 adults, those with poor cognition had abnormally high amounts of Alistipes and Pseudobutyrivibrio bacteria compared to other participants. Alistipes bacteria have previously been linked to anxiety, chronic fatigue syndrome, depression and hypertension.

“It makes sense that people who have these movements much less frequently have less good bacteria and more bad bacteria caused by inflammatory conditions,” Carrillo said.

“Further studies are needed to identify the microbes involved and their function,” Ma said of his research.

When it comes to neurological and digestive health, “good food not only nourishes our brains, but it also promotes healthy bowel movements,” Carrillo said.

Eating enough fiber from vegetables, fruits, whole grains and nuts can prevent constipation. Total fiber intake should be at least 25 grams per day, according to the US Food and Drug Administration. And being sufficiently hydrated softens stools so you can pass them without straining.

Exercise at least a few times per week and To manage stress can also help.